In Rochester, Paterson defiant

ROCHESTER–Gov. David Paterson held his second campaign kickoff announcement earlier today at a union hall in Rochester, striking a defiant tone and claiming “underdog” status for his nascent candidacy.

Standing behind the governor were Assemblymembers Susan John and David Gantt, as well as Bob Brown, business manager of the Laborers Local 435. The union hosted Paterson’s speech. Absent were Mayor Bob Duffy and Assemblyman Joe Morelle, chairman of the Monroe County Democratic Committee.

“I have accomplished more in two years than most governors accomplish in two terms. And yes, I want you to judge me by what I’m fighting, but you can also judge me by what I’ve done. But oh, the pundits and the politicians have a new standard now,” Paterson said. “You don’t get judged by what you’ve done. You get judged by antiseptic polls before you’ve even had an election. And they ask you, how much money have you raised from Albany insiders and the special interests? Well here’s a news flash for the media: the special interests don’t like me. And here’s your follow-up answer: I’m not particularly happy with them either.”

“The definitions change over years but the message is the same: don’t do it. You can’t succeed. Go home. Find something else to do. And this has been a burden who by reason of race, religion, national origin, age or disability, sex or sexual orientation have had to challenge the institutions that were rife with bias, with prejudice, and with privilege. And some of those people are telling me, you can’t run for governor. But I want you to know that there is a person who’s running for governor who doesn’t quit.”
“I am an eternal optimist. You would have to be to go through a year that I’ve gone through and still be standing up here. But I learned a long, long time ago that optimism is the spirit of New York. We take problems that are difficult or hard and we make them our own.”